Manual release structure



Feb. 2, 1965 E. .L BROBL ETAL 3,167,973

MANUAL RELEASE STRUCTURE Original FledOot. 13. 1961 I 56%@ mf/ff United States Patent O 3,167,973 MANUAL RELEASE STRUCTURE Edward J. Brodl, La Grange Park, Harold L. Dohrikin,

Highland Park, and Victor Mastis, Chicago, ill., assignors to Berg Airlectro Products Co., Chicago, Iii., a corporation of illinois Original application 9ct. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 144,8ti2, now Patent No. 3,109,347, dated Nov. 5, 1963. Divided and this application Jan. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 259,628

2 Claims. (Cl. '7d- 547) This invention relates to a release means and has particular relation to the provision of a release handle.

One purpose of ythe invention is to provide a manual means for the removal of .a back plate.

Another purpose is to provide a manual release handle which may be folded within the diameter of a cylinder and which is effective to accomplish the removal from said cylinder of a back plate.

Another purpose is to provide a manual release handle for a cylinder wherein means are provided for prevention of unintended movement of release members toward release position.

Another purpose is to provide a manual release handle of maximum simplicity and compactness as well as maximum economy in manufacture and use.

Another purpose is to provide a manual release handle having means to prevent vibratory movement of a release mechanism toward release position.

Other purposes will appear from time to time during the course of the specification and claims.

We illustrate our invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is an end View;

FIGURE 2 is an end view illustrating a portion of the invention with parts in another position; and

FIGURE 3 is a View taken on the line 3 3 of FIG- URE l.

Like parts are indicated by like numerals throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1 generally designates a cylinder. It will be realized that the cylinder 1 may be affixed, or otherwise associated with, a brakeoperating cylinder.

A back or closure plate 7 is fitted in the open end 8 of cylinder 1. The back plate 7 is removably held in the open end of cylinder 1 by any suitable means such as the lock rings 9.

The sleeve 11a is rotatably positioned in a central aperture 15 formed in the back or closure plate 7. A portion (not shown) of the member 11a may be peened, or otherwise flared, adjacent and in contact with the area about the inner edge of aperture 15 to provide for the free rotation of member 11a in said aperture 15 and to preclude longitudinal movement of member 11a outwardly through aperture 15.

A head 17 is carried by the end of member 11a, the head 17 being positioned outwardly of plate 7 and having a diameter greater than that of aperture 15 whereby member 11a remains freely rotatable in aperture 15 but is prevented from movement thereinto by the engagement of head 17 with the plate 7. As the parts are illustrated, an abutment ring 18 seats against the area of plate 7 surrounding and adjacent the aperture 15 and the head 17 seats on an inner annular portion of the ring 1S. The sleeve 11a has a bore 19 formed therein and outwardly open through head 17.

The plate 7 has a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially disposed ribs or projections 2.5 uprising from its outer surface. The head 17 rises beyond the ribs 25. A handle member, generally indicated by the numeral 26, is mounted upon the head 17. A central aperture 27 is CTI 3,167,973 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 ice formed in the handle 26 and has a conguration corresponding to that of head 17, as well as dimensions corresponding substantially thereto. While the head 17 and aperture 27 are shown in the drawings as being hexagonal, it will be understood that a plural-ity of non-circular forms may be employed, and that even a circular form may be employed where the handle 26 may be secured to head 17 'by some other manner, without departing from the nature and scope of the invention.

The handle 26 has a generally rectilinear longitudinal central or base section 28 extending on opposite sides of the aperture 27 for a distance less than the radius of cylinder 1 whereby the member 28 is retained within the diameter of cylinder 1, as is illustrated in the drawings. The oppositely disposed segments of handle base 28 are Vindicated at 28a, 28b. The base 28 is generally U-shaped in cross section as shown in FIGURE 3.

Surrounding and dening the aperture 27, the handle member 26 may have an axially disposed wall 29, the inner surface of which operatively engages the opposed outer surfaces of head 17. For permanency, one or more spot welds 3i) may, if desired, be added to retain the handle 26 on head 17. As may be best seen in FIGURE 3, the wall 29 has a rounded inner edge portion 31 which rotatably seats upon the outer annular surface of ring 13 beyond that surface thereof against which head 17 seats. The substantially fiat main wall 32 of handle base 28 may ride upon the higher portions of ribs 25, as may be clearly seen in FGURE 3.

Pivotally mounted, as at 33, adjacent one outer end of handle base segment 28a, is a manually operable handle portion 34. A spring 35 engages segment 28a and portion 34 to urge the portion 34 into closed position overlying handle section 28, as illustrated in FIGURES l and 3. As observable in FIGURE 3, the portion 34 has an outer segment reduced in cross sectional measurement, .and said outer segment is urged toward and seats upon the head 17 and outer edge of wall 29 in response to spring 35.

An aperture 36 is formed in handle segment 28a and a lock pin or arm 37 is carried by member 34 for excursion into and through aperture 36 when the member 34 is closed upon segment 28a. The member 37, which may conveniently be bent from a part of portion 34, is of suflicient linear extension to extend through aperture 36 and into position for engagement with a side wall of an adjacent projection 25 on back plate 7. To facilitate such engagement, should the same be occasioned, the aperture 36 is arranged adjacent one side wall of segment 28a, and thus overlying the back plate 7 adjacent a rib or projection 25. While a plurality of projections 25 is shown, one such projection is suiiicient to provide for locking handle 26 in the position shown. It will be realized that pin 37 could similarly engage a depression in the outer face of plate 7 without departing from the nature and scope of the invention.

An opposite handle segment 2gb similarly has pivotally mounted adjacent the Outer edge thereof, as at 38, a manually operable handle portion 39 yieldingly urged toward closed position overlying handle base section 28 by a spring 40. It will be observed that the handle 26 is conveniently formed of generally U-shaped elements, the member 34 being reduced in one plane in one direction and the member 39 being reduced in the same plane in the opposite direction to facilitate an intertting folding and the manual grasping and rotation of the handle 26.

Referring now to FIGURE 2, it will be observed that an indicator member 51 is positioned within the sleeve 11a and, with the parts in the position illustrated in FIG- URE 2, the head 51 has its outer surface in alignment with the outer surface of head 17. Hence, the handle portions 34, 39 rest upon the outer surface of head 17 and the outer surface of head 51. Should there be any unintentional rotation, due to vibration or otherwise, of sleeve 11a, head 51 will be moved outwardly of sleeve 11a. The outward movement 'of head 51 willv produce an outward movement of handle portions 34,39 against the action of springs' 35, 40.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

Rotation of head 17 is accomplished by manual release handle 26. The operator merely unfolds manually operable handle portions 34, 39, from the position illustrated in FIGURE 1 into the position illustrated in'FIGURE 2. The operator thereafter, grasping' portions 34 and 39, merely rotates these to rotate sleeve 11a. When the operator has inished with the handle 26, he merely releases manual control of portions 34, 39 which, under the urging of springs 35, 40, respectively, immediately return to the folded compact position illustrated in FIGURE 1.

A lock member 37 is carried by member 34. It will be realized that the member 37 could be carried by portion 39, and that two such lock pins could be provided without departing from the nature and scope of the invention. When the handle 26 is not in operation, the pin 37 is automatically placed in position to lock the handle 26, and through its engagement with head 17, to lock sleeve 11a against unintended rotation, and thus to prevent unintended release, or even partial release, of the brake-operating elements within chamber 1.

Should, however, any unintended movement of the elements occur, due to vibration of the vehicle, or other causes, the indicator member 51 Will be moved outwardly of plate 7 and head 17. Such outward ,movement of head 51, since it engages portions 34, 39, will cause'said portions to move outwardly against the action of spring 35, 40. Thus is provided an immediate visual indication to the operator that the elements within cylinder 1 have been moved. All that is necessary, 'in such event, is for the scope and spirit of the invention. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be limited only by the scope of the hereinafter appended claims.

This application is a division of Serial No. 144,882, filed October 13, 1961, now Patent No. 3,109,347, issued November 5, 1963, for improvements in Manual Release Structure by the inventors, Edward J. Brodl, Harold L. Dobrikin and Victor Mastis.

We claim:

1. A handle for brake release mechanisms and the like comprising a generally rectilinear base section, said base section being substantially U-shaped in cross section, a pair of manually operable handle portions, one of said portions being pivotally mounted at each of the vopposite ends of said base section, means engaging each of said `handle portions and said base section and positioned to urge said handle portions into position adjacent each other and into nesting relationship within the side walls of said base section.

2. A handle member comprising a generally rectilinear base section, an aperture intermediate the ends of said base section, and a pair of manually operable sections, one of said manually operable sections being pivotally mounted on each of the opposite ends of said base section, yielding means engaging said base section and each vof said manually operable sections,said yielding means being arranged to urge said manually operable section into a position overlying and in contact with said base section, each of lsaid manually operable sections having an oifset portion, said olfset portions being urged by said yielding means to a position adjacent each other and into parellel, interpenetrating relationship with the base section. f

References Citedin the le of this patent 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 

2. A HANDLE MEMBER COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTILINEAR BASE SECTION, AN APERTURE INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID BASE SECTION, AND A PAIR OF MANUALLY OPERABLE SECTIONS, ONE OF SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE SECTIONS BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON EACH OF THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID BASE SECTION, YIELDING MEANS ENGAGING SAID BASE SECTION AND EACH OF SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE SECTIONS, SAID YIELDING MEANS BEING ARRANGED TO URGE SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE SECTION INTO A POSITION OVERLYING AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID BASE SECTION, EACH OF SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE SECTIONS HAVING AN OFFSET PORTION, SAID OFFSET PORTIONS BEING URGED BY SAID YIELDING MEANS TO A POSITION ADJACENT EACH OTHER AND INTO PARALLEL, INTERPENETRATING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BASE SECTION. 